What should be the superintendent and school board relationship?

As part of the 2016 National Conference on Education in Phoenix, Arizona, Executive Directors Tom Gentzel of the National School Board Association and Dan Domenech of the American Association of School Administrators discussed the importance of a superintendent and school board having a positive relationship to effectively run a school system. An excerpt of some of their comments follows:

Two of the biggest challenges for the superintendent and school board will be the understanding and incorporating of the new education law, ESSA: Every Student Succeed Act in the school system. This law replaces the long standing 50-year old ESEA, Elementary and Secondary Education Act.

Some of the provisions of ESSA is (1) advance equity by upholding critical protections for America’s disadvantaged and high-need students; (2) require for the first time that all students in America be taught to high academic standards that will prepare them to succeed in college and careers and (3) ensure that vital information is provided to educators, families, students, and communities through annual statewide assessments that measure students’ progress toward those high standards.

On December 15, 2015, President Barrack Obama signed the ESSA into law. Gentzel commented that the ESSA is a remarkable law because there will be “push back on standardized testing issues and it will provide more control for the local community.” Therefore, it is imperative that the school board gains pertinent information and knowledge about the law and work closely with the superintendent as an integral part of the leadership team.

While this law replaces the mandates of No Child Left Behind Act of 2002, Domenech noted that “some superintendents around the country are concerned that their states might continue doing what they are doing; they are happy with the way things are with standardized testing despite this being contrary to the spirit of the law.” It is all about equity. The new ESSA will require some use of standard assessment, but there is nothing in the budget to address equity. There are a number of “school systems that are not at the level of funding since 2008 and we have to look at this problem,” said Domenech. Every child must be afforded an opportunity for a quality education.